Sorry for the delay folks, I'm hoping to add an extra chapter this week to catch up for the delay. I'll make an announcement on the next chapter if there'll be an extra posting.

"The White Legs showed no mercy. They killed the children, the old and the infirm," Daniel explained, sounding sick at the memory. "They burned our bishop, Mordecai, to death in the second floor of his house." He looked particularly pained at that.

"…Were you close to him?" Layla asked, giving Daniel a sympathetic frown. The New Canaanite gave her a guarded look in return.

"It doesn't matter. We need to focus on the current problem."

Layla frowned. She had just brought the missionary the items she and Follows-Chalk had collected in Zion. They'd gotten everything on the list Graham had given her, except a compass. She had decided to check some of the ranger stations in the area once they were done here. Looking back at Daniel, she continued.

"You don't have to talk about it if you don't want to… but suppressing this kind of thing isn't going to do you any good…"

The man sighed heavily. "He was our leader, and now he's gone. I'm doing all I can to keep us together here, but it seems insurmountable."

The Courier nodded grimly. "If we all work together, we'll get through this."

The frown on his face didn't fade, but Daniel looked less glum. "You are kind to help strangers."

Layla couldn't help but smile. "Well, you did it first. Thank you, by the way."

"It's our way to help those who need it. We weren't about to turn your injured friends away."

Something in Layla's stomach twisted at the mention of Cass and Boone. Both were standing further away in the camp, and she could feel eye lasers on her back. Neither of her companions had been pleased to find out she'd offered to help the former Legion Legate, Joshua Graham. Even if he did seem to genuinely want to help the people of Zion.

She couldn't explain to them why she trusted Graham. Anything she could say would sound hollow. If they would just speak to him, or the Dead Horses who followed him, they'd see. Whatever had gone through his mind after he'd lost his Legion life, it had ended in him seeking forgiveness with the New Canaanites. Layla wasn't sure he'd get the chance to relay that to either of her friends

Shaking away the thought, she looked up at Daniel. "So, what's the plan?"

The missionary's face took on a neutral look. "We need to get the Sorrows out of here. The White Legs will continue to seek out the remaining New Canaanites and any they're associated with. The tribe doesn't deserve to get caught up in this…"

The stricken look on his face was back, and he was silent for a moment.

"If you can find a compass, there will be a few more things to gather," he continued. "Then we can evacuate the Sorrows to the Grand Staircase, beyond the canyon. The White Legs won't be equipped to survive there. They won't follow us."

"What will happen to Zion?" Layla asked. The canyon seemed like a pre-war oasis, and she was disheartened to think of the Sorrows losing it.

"The White Legs will probably take over." Daniel's expression mirrored Layla's displeasure. "But there's no alternative."

"Can't we fight the White Legs?"

"The Sorrows haven't had to worry about war for decades… They're innocent, if there is such a thing. They are unequipped to fight, physically and mentally."

The frown was back on Layla's face, but she didn't respond. The missionary continued.

"For now, if you can concentrate on finding that compass, I can continue preparing the Sorrows."

Layla nodded. "I'll be back."

"If you need help in the canyon, Waking Cloud can assist you," the missionary said.

"Okay, thank you."

Stepping away, the Courier felt her stomach twist again. Looking around for Follows-Chalk or Waking Cloud, she found neither tribal in the area. Which meant no buffer zone between her and her friends.

She wanted to go to them and explain again why this was the right thing to do, but a sudden burst of irritation caught her. Not wanting to go their way and start yelling, she instead began looking for Follows-Chalk. She needed to get that compass, and he knew the area.

Continuing along the rock walls, she stopped suddenly as she saw Joshua coming her way from the camp entrance. Layla had thought she'd have trouble reading him, as his face was almost completely covered in bandages, but she could definitely tell he was not happy. Before she got a chance to greet him or ask him what was wrong, he spoke.

"By the rivers of Babylon, there we sat down, yea, we wept, when we remembered Zion. Remember, O Lord, the children of Edom in the day of Jerusalem who said, 'Raze it, raze it, even to the foundation.' O Daughter of Babylon, who art to be destroyed. Happy shall he be, that rewardeth thee as thou hast served us. Happy shall he be, that taketh and dasheth the little ones against the stones." Graham looked at her, eyes piercing. "Do you know what it means?"

Layla nodded, suddenly grateful for the basic understanding of biblical texts her mother had given her. "You want to fight the White Legs, not let them have Zion." He made a pleased grunt at that.

"If we dwelled in a perfect world, they'd simply leave us alone. But they won't. The Dead Horses and I are prepared to do what is necessary. Even some of the Sorrows are, though Daniel may not want to admit it. They are not warriors, but this is their home.

Daniel doesn't understand how a tribe like this works. He thinks the White Legs will give up their pursuit if we flee. They will not."

Layla bit her lip, thinking. "This is what you came to Zion to do."

"Zion is a temple to God, and the White Legs affront is an affront to God. It demands correction." Layla wasn't sure if he'd picked up on her sudden discomfort, but he continued. "I don't enjoy killing, but when done righteously, it's just a chore, like any other. Practiced hands make for short work. And the good Lord knows there's much to be done here."

Layla found that to be a little more disturbing than she expected. She was about to respond when she saw Graham look up and draw his gun. Turning, Layla found Boone standing behind her with his rifle trained on the Burned Man.

"Boone! Stop!" she cried.

"I told you before; I see red, I shoot," the sniper growled, not lowering his gun. Layla's shock finally receded, and she stepped in front of Graham, blocking Boone's shot.

"And I told you I was helping Graham." The sniper didn't move, something Layla hadn't expected. The glare she'd been giving him faltered. "Boone… please."

He grimaced, but lowered his rifle and stalked away without a word. The Courier watched him go, letting out the breath she hadn't known she'd been holding.

"Your friends are aware of my history," Graham said somberly. "That was a 1st Recon beret, wasn't it?"

Layla nodded, eyes still on Boone's retreating back. "Thanks for not shooting him."

She'd meant it for both men.

*.*.*

Cass watched Boone stalk off away from Layla. He was supposed to let her know their concerns and make nice. Judging by the infuriated look he was sporting, it hadn't gone well. The caravaneer frowned; Layla wasn't exactly a dirty fighter when it came to arguing, so why was Boone so angry?

Her answer came in the form of Layla walking toward the camp with what looked like a mummy wearing a SWAT vest. The sight was bizarre enough that it took her a moment to realize who she was looking at. He didn't seem to notice her as he walked by, which probably was for the best. She wasn't going to talk to the psycho. After he walked past her to speak with Daniel, Cass finally noticed Layla had lingered nearby.

"Um," she started. Cass had never seen her look so apprehensive. "So, I uh…" She stopped, chewing her lip. Any anger Cass had been harboring about the situation was fading at the sight of the girl's obvious anxiety.

"I need to go find a compass. Will you go with me?" she said finally, and Cass frowned. The Courier wasn't nearly as tough as she liked to act around people. Well, that depended, really; she could be tough as nails if someone she cared about was in trouble. Hell, even if it was a stranger she usually found a reserve of strength most didn't expect out of her. Veronica liked to call Boone a 'Crazed Mother Bear,' but Cass always thought the term was better suited to Layla. Raul had told her the story of how Layla had ripped apart a dozen Legionaries single-handedly with a chainsaw that was almost as heavy as she was. All to get to Boone. After that, the caravaneer had concluded she'd earned the title.

But looking at her now, she seemed like she would burst into tears at any moment. Fighting with she and Boone must be upsetting Layla a great deal. Cass had already decided she wanted to help the Sorrows, which was essentially what Layla wanted, despite the other allies that gained them.

"Yeah, I'll go."

A tentative smile cleared the anxiousness from Layla's face, and she started fiddling with her Pip-Boy. "Follows-Chalk pointed out some ranger stations around the canyon. I think that's our best bet. Did you see him around? Or maybe Waking Cloud? If we come across any scouts, I want to be able to talk with them…"

"Did you need my assistance?" Waking Cloud asked as she walked up to the other two women. "Daniel said I was to help you if you needed me." Layla had jumped when she'd spoken, clearly not expecting her to appear immediately.

"Oh good. We're going to look around the canyon for a compass. We'd love your help," the Courier said.

"I am happy to do so," the tribal said with a smile, and they started for the Narrows' exit. Not far into the canyon, the tribal spoke up again. "What is a compass, exactly?"

"Oh, well, it's a device that uses a magnetized pointer that aligns with the poles of the earth to determine magnetic north," Layla explained.

"I don't think she speaks Nerd," Cass muttered, getting a glare from the Courier. The younger girl cleared her throat.

"It uses magnets to point North. That way you always know what direction you're traveling."

Waking Cloud seemed amused at the exchange. "Thank you, I can see that would be very useful in the evacuation."

"Yeah…" The Courier suddenly sounded troubled. "How do you feel about leaving Zion?"

"I am not happy to leave my home, but Daniel has assured us it is the only way if we are to survive."

Cass noted Layla's uneasy look. She grew silent as they continued their search.

*.*.*

"…The Father in the Caves gave us his earthly wife and child, but we sinned against him, so he punished us with The End That Came in Fire. We forgot the holy tongue that all the holy scripture is written in. But Daniel has taught it to us again."

Cass frowned at Waking Cloud's explanation of her religion. "I don't think that's the same god the New Canaanites follow…"

The tribal gave her a patient smile. "Perhaps you are not as familiar with their god. Speak to Daniel next time you get the chance; he will be happy to talk to you about it."

"Yeah, I bet," the woman grumbled, and Layla gave her a warning look. She didn't want to have to lecture the woman on cultural sensitivity, mainly because she was sure Cass would laugh her ass off if she tried. She wasn't too worried though; Cass knew how to keep from pissing people off when it was necessary. Well, most of the time. For now, she concentrated on the road ahead of her.

"We can't be far from that one station, just past this road…" She trailed off as she looked down a cliff the road veered from. The remains of a pre-war school bus was split in two on the bottom of the ravine. Child-sized skeletons littered the ground.

It'd felt like someone had punched her in the stomach as she looked at the wreckage, and she lowered herself down the slope to the crash. Careful not to disturb the bones, she walked to the bus and looked in. There were even more little bodies. Two adult-sized ones too.

Something caught her eye in the scattered debris, and she frowned as she realized what it was, a compass. Looking over the skeletons, she wondered why a pack of kids needed such a thing. There were toys, cherry bombs, a couple lunchboxes, normal kid stuff. Bending near one of the bodies, she found a patch on the ratty remains of their collar. 'Li'l Scouts,' it said. That logo was on a few of the lunch boxes as well.

"Some kind of club," she said out loud, the looked up to Cass and Waking Cloud. Both women were giving her somber looks. "There's a compass here…"

Picking it up, she saw it was missing its sensor module. Frowning, she looked around, then spotted it clutched in a tiny skeletal hand.

Layla didn't like to disturb the dead, an old tribal habit she'd picked up from her father. She never had much trouble scavenging from buildings, but when it came to pulling clothes off bodies and ripping things out of brittle, ancient hands, she refused.

"The dead don't need it," she could hear her mother admonish her father for the eightieth time. "If I were dead and someone needed something I had, I'd want them to have it."

"Can I have your Pancor Jackhammer?" her eldest brother would ask.

"I'm not dead yet, you little monster!"

Nearby, she saw another hand clutching a Dinky toy. She bit her lip at the sight of it, briefly wondering if the kid had ever been to Novac, or whatever it used to be. There was another one of the toys discarded in the shallow water nearby. She scooped it up.

Neither of her companions spoke as she gently pried to module free of its owner's hand, replacing it with the toy dinosaur.

*.*.*

"So, Waking Cloud…" Cass started. The caravaneer noticed Layla giving her a warning look, which she ignored. "How's life in Zion?"

"It is good; game is plentiful, the weather is kind, and before the White Legs, those who were in the canyon were good friends. I will miss this place when we have left."

Cass noticed Layla frown deeply at that. The older woman went back to addressing the Sorrow.

"Got any family?"

"I have a wonderful husband and three children." Waking Cloud sounded delighted to speak of her family. Cass couldn't help but grin.

"Was your husband at the camp?" she asked.

"No, he volunteered to watch after the children and elderly that were evacuated. I haven't heard from him in a few weeks. I miss him."

"Well, we'll be dealing with the White Leg situation soon," Layla said thoughtfully. "Have you heard from them recently?"

"I have asked Daniel about my family. He had spoken with a few scouts about their whereabouts. Every time I bring it up, he seems… sad. Sometimes I think he's trying to protect me."

Cass saw Layla glance her way, a troubled look on her face. The caravaneer was about to speak again when Waking Cloud continued.

"What about you? Do you have families?"

"Pfft, no," Cass said automatically. "I'm not much for settling down."

"And you?" the tribal addressed Layla. "Are you with the warrior who came to Zion with you?"

"Shit, aren't you perceptive?" Cass said, laughing. "They're even fighting now. You should see them when they're all buddy-buddy."

"I am the Sorrows midwife. You don't spend so much time with young couples without getting to know these things," the tribal said sagely.

Cass grinned and looked back, expecting the Courier to be the shade of red she usually turned when this subject came up. She was surprised to find her frowning sadly.

"We're not together," she said, then adopted a closed, stony face Cass had never seen on her. She knew what it was though, she'd put a clamp on her emotions. Waking Cloud seemed to have gotten the hint as well and turned away, giving Cass a knowing look.

The caravaneer frowned; she was going to have a talk with Boone when they got back to camp. She wouldn't go as far to say he was being unreasonable, but this couldn't last. Layla being so glum was damn depressing.

"Well, when we get back to the camp, I can talk to Daniel about your family-" Cass was cut off by a loud roar. She saw Layla spin automatically, hands going for her shotgun.

Cass turned as well and found a monstrously huge creature bearing down on them. She had to agree with Layla; it did look like a mutated bear. Despite her quick initial reaction, Cass found Layla just staring at the monster.

"Move, you dummy!" Cass cried, and all three women started running. The caravaneer turned back, shooting as they ran.

"The cave!" Layla cried. Looking ahead, Cass saw there was indeed a cave further ahead of the ravine.

"It is forbidden!" Waking Cloud gasped.

"It's either that or… Holy shit!" Cass nearly got caught by a claw, and Layla blasted the creature in the face with a shotgun round. It bellowed in pain, rearing up. Waking Cloud gave no further argument as they ran for the cave.

All three women stumbled into the cave a moment later, and Layla stood a the entrance, probably hoping to use the small opening to bottleneck the yao guai. After a few tense moments of silence, nothing happened.

"…Well what the fuck? What happened to it?" Cass yelled, still catching her breath.

"Maybe I killed it?" Layla said, cautiously looking out of the hole. There was nothing in the ravine.

"Get back in here!" Cass cried, and the Courier scurried back. "It's probably waiting for us to leave. We'll give it a little while to get bored. Then we're going out dynamite first…"

Layla nodded, then noticed Waking Cloud. She looked anxiously around the cavern. She seemed to gather herself, then addressed the others.

"It will be all right, but we should not linger here longer than we need to."

*.*.*

Layla certainly hoped they weren't going to be trapped in the cave much longer. She was bored. Not wanting to upset Waking Cloud, she had kept from searching the rest of the cave. But as time went on, and they still heard the roaring of the yao guai outside, she'd gotten curious of the cavern. Cass had already started poking around.

"Hey, look at this," Cass said, pointing out a computer on a table. Moving over to it, Layla tapped a few keys, trying to see what its purpose was.

"Looks like someone was using it for diary entries. Randal Clark…" She made a sickly face. "And it looks like it was right after the bombs dropped."

That seemed to get Cass' attention, and both women huddled by the computer screen. Layla noticed Waking Cloud looking at them anxiously, and decided to make this quick.

"…June 15th

Departed April 10th. Walk to SLC took 15 days. Would've been 7-9 back in the old days but had to circle pockets of radiation and foraged along way.

Don't know what I was thinking. Imagined I'd find my house, dig through rubble, find - something. Your bones I hoped, and Little Nut's. Would've buried them. Here in Zion maybe.

SLC is mostly craters. Warped steel girders where highrises sat. Mounds of bricks.

Never found our house. Didn't even find street. What wasn't a crater was scorched clean.

Want to believe it was fast, a flash, both of you vaporized. Lies to make me feel better. I'll never know. Which part of city got hit first? Northeast and you both died in a blink. Farther away and you burned alive screaming or the blast broken glass and bits of brick and wood splinters shredding you like hamburger. Look at it coward and listen don't turn away face it. If you'd been brave lucky man you would've found a spot and blown your brains out…"

"So what, he hid here after the war?" Cass asked

"Must have," Layla said.

"Poor bastard," Cass murmured over her shoulder. "Alone after all that…"

Layla felt her heart clench at the thought, then scrolled further along the logs. He apparently had found more survivors whom he helped in secret when they'd been injured. She understood why he worried about revealing himself, but his isolation had to have hurt him.

While she thought about the plight of Randal Clark, she suddenly noticed the roaring had stopped. Downloading the logs to her Pip-boy, she switched off the terminal, then turned to Waking Cloud.

"Okay, let's get out of here."

The tribal looked relieved.

*.*.*

"Do your injuries hurt badly? Is there anything I can do?" Layla said as she looked at the bandages covering Graham. She, Cass and Waking Cloud had made it back to the camp with no further giant bear issues. Daniel had been grateful for the compass, and was now conferring with the scouts about their next move.

Since then, Layla had been pacing around the camp, trying to work up the courage to talk to Boone. Eventually, she'd wandered into the area behind the main Sorrows camp. Waterfalls fed a river which had to be navigated to get to the higher cliffs, where more Sorrows were set up. In one of these side camps, she'd found Graham reading. She'd sat on a rock nearby, happy for a distraction from her sniper problems. Her question caused him to look up at her.

"Everyday I have to rewrap the bandages, and it feels like I'm burning all over again," he answered. She bit her lip, and he inclined his head.

"Thank you for asking, but we don't use chems. And I found out long ago that they don't affect me."

Frowning further, Layla found herself wishing for Arcade again. He might have known something they could do for Graham. Although he probably wouldn't want to help the former Legionary either. She suddenly remembered one of the books the doctor had snuck her on the way out of the 38. A field medical guide.

"I have a medical book. Maybe I can find something we can do that doesn't include chems…"

"The people of New Canaan have tried a few things already." There was some amusement in his voice. "But thank you."

"Joshua, Stone-Thrower's weapon has jammed again," a young Dead Horse said as she came upon them. The Burned Man stood.

"No rest for the wicked," he said with a touch of humor in his voice as he move further up the path to the tribal in question.

Layla watched him go, then dug around her pack and found her medical book. She sat on her rock again and starting flipping through it, looking for any information on burns. Not that she expected there to be a section entitled 'In Case of Complete Immolation' with a subsection, 'And Living,' but there could be something helpful.

"He deserves it."

Startled, Layla turned to find Boone had been standing behind her. He must have heard what she and Graham had been talking about. The sniper looked agitated, but not as angry as before.

"Boone…I-"

He spoke before she could finish.

"I know you think this is the right thing to do, but after what he's done, he deserves the pain."

Layla watched as he turned and left without another word. Looking in the spot he'd occupied a few moments ago, she sighed heavily.

"He's right."

She jumped, startled again, and turned to find that Graham had rejoined her.

"I once lead an attack on a small tribe in Arizona," he continued. "They were called the Sun Dogs. They were peaceful, with no hope of repelling us. Once they finally surrendered, I had the leaders lined up in front of the rest. Their shaman was the only one who fought back, even after the surrender. He was your friend's age…"

Graham paused, then continued, sounding somber. "I had him staked to a giant ant mound to be slowly eaten alive. Any who tried to help him were shot down. The first had been his eight-year-old son…"

Layla's stomach twisted. His tone was somewhere between rage and regret as he continued. "I deserve these burns and this pain for what I did to the Sun Dogs alone, and there were many others…"

He walked toward the main camp after that. Layla watched him go, more troubled than she'd been before.